Daily Number

78,180

December 17, 2012

For all the talk about a nursing shortage, New Jersey's 78,180 registered nurses represent a higher than national average of nurses per 100,000 population -- 886 vs. 874, according to statehealthfacts.org. The website is a project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and provides health data for each of the 50 states.

There are 5,479 nurse practitioners in the Garden State or 62 per 100,000 population, again more than the 58 per 100,000 that is the national average. Physicians assistants total 1,330. This is the one area in which New Jersey lags the national average; there are 15 physicians assistants as opposed to 27 per 100,000 nationally.